Over
the past decade, property values in the 200-person village of Cheshire,
Ohio, USA, plummeted. Acid rain fallout damaged cars, odors nauseated
residents and thick plumes of smoke sometimes blocked the sun. When
sulfurous blue clouds periodically covered the town and caused breathing
difficulties for some during summer 2001, many residents became desperate.
The following spring, this centuries-old village of Cheshire made a
very modern proposal: residents offered to sell their town to the source
of its problems, the next-door power plant, owned and operated by American
Electric Power ("AEP"). Ninety families in this small southeastern
Ohio River town will divide approximately $20 million and abandon their
long-time homes, if they sign confidentiality agreements and waive their
rights to sue the power company for any future health claims. AEP will,
in turn, acquire land for their operations and simultaneously quell
the voices that have been plaguing them for years.

"A
win-win situation for all involved", reported analysts, newspapers
and some members of Cheshire's village council. Unconvinced the filmmakers
embark on their own journey to Cheshire to explore the unprecedented
buyout proposal's consequences. Though dominated by the presence of
Ohio's largest coal-fired power plant, the filmmakers find the village
to be a picturesque and thriving community. Hundred year-old trees and
American flags line Main Street. Families lounge and BBQ at the new
park next to the Ohio River. Others linger at the post office. But when
the villagers begin to express their concerns, the deal's ramifications
become all too evident. "It's like the civil war," describes
one resident, "there are neighbors against neighbors, families
against families, and husbands and wives against each other." While
a few families are anxious to escape the power plant, others only reluctantly
prepare to leave behind their community. And then there are some who
just plain refuse to participate in the buyout deal. These holdouts
claim that the plant's emissions do not affect them, that they are too
old to part with their roots and memories, or that they do not want
to be susceptible to the whim of large corporations and the majority's
will. This growing group of dissenters has not yet given up on the village;
the deal has not yet been finalized.

From
summer 2002 through the beginning of 2003, the filmmakers chronicle
the buyout's developments. A feisty widow, a mellow bait shop owner,
and an all-knowing postmaster are only some of the residents that share
their varying viewpoints on the buyout proposal. For the out-of-towners,
these villagers also paint a portrait of an American small town, a town
that may be used to stockpile coal by the coming year. Through their
laughter, tears, and anxiety the film raises questions about the surrendering
of traditional values, the meaning of progress, and the power money
has over the environment and one's health. The consequences facing Cheshire
are many, but the significance of the Cheshire transaction ultimately
lies in its potential to set a precedent for other communities and corporations
across the country.